Apparatus for discharging uncontaminated water from the bilge or ballast tanks



C. H. HAFGOOD APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING UNCONTAMINATED WATER FROM THE BLCTE OR BALLAST TANKS Filed Jan. 31, 1924 ff A Q/ u /A/l/EA/roe /wzw ss i CE1/rus //owm-a//ya/cyoaa iPatented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATESL 'PATENT OFFICE.

GYRUS HOWARD HAPGOOD, 0F NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR COMPANY, O'F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

APEARATUS FOR DISCHARGING UNGONTAMINATED VATER FROM THE BILGrE OR BALLAST TANKS.

Application filed January 31, 1924. Serial No. 689,708'.

To all whom t may concern:

y Be it known that I, CYRUs HOWARD Har- GooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nutley, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Discharging Uncontaminated Tater from the Bilge or Ballast Tanks, of which the f ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In an application filed by me September l2, 1923, Serial No. 662,364, Patent No. 1,481,901, for process and apparatus for discharging uncontaminated water from bilge or ballast tanks, 1 set forth a process wherein the liquid from the tank is pumped against a constant head and wherein the pump pressure itself tends to shut off the fiow of liquid toward the discharge. Normally this pump pressure is opposed by a force sufiiciently great to maintain the fiow during discharge of water.' When, however, due to passage of oil into the pipe, the liquid becomes more viscous, the pump pressure increases and overcomes the opposing force and shuts off flow of liquid. In said patent l also set forth an apparatus adapted to carry out such process, the same comprising a pipe line leading from the tank and arranged to provide a fixed head, a control valve on the pipe line, a pump between the tank and the control valve, and means, such as a spring-pressed diaphragm, that holds the valve open against pump pressure during outiiow of water but that yields to the increased pump pressure produced when oil starts to outflow, and closes the valve, thereby arresting further discharge of liquid. j

This process and apparatus are in every sense operative, but in the practical development of the invention I have made certain improvements whereby new and useful results are obtained and whereby the process' and apparatus are better adapted to respond to the requirements 0f regular commercial use.

In said apparatus, after oil starts to iiow from the tank, most of the oil is shunted through a relief valve; but a small percentage of oil will get beyond the control valve before the latter closes. In said patent provision is made (namely: a branch pipe and a manually operable junction valve) whereby, if the control valve be held open, the emulsion of water and oil inthe pipe beyond the control valve may be subsequently pumped back to a ballast tank or to the bilge or to a receptacle for subsequent conveyance to a centrifugal separator, thereby avoiding the passage of any oil to the discharge. It is clear that if diversion of all the oil entering the pipe line could be effected automatically, without manual operation of these valves or either of them, it would be o-f decided advantage and utility. The present invention is adaptedV to elfect this result.

It is also clear that in the patented apparatus, an accurate adjustment of the control valve mechanism is required, sothat only a slight increase of viscosity and therefore only a slight increase in pump pressure may insure the closure of the valve. Bearing in mind that, when oil starts to flow from the tank, its proportion to water is very slight, the proportion increasing as the flow continues, it is clear Uhat if the control valve mechanism is not adjusted to respond to a slight increase of pump pressure, considerable oil may go to the discharge before the control valve closes. It is evident that if the construction could be modified so as to dispense with the necessity of aI fine or delicate adjustment of the control valve mechanism, so that if the control valve should fail to close until after a considerable proportion of oil enters the pipe, yet no oil would pass to the discharge, a very useful result, from a commercial standpoint, would be obtained. The present invention accomplishes this desirable result.

In the embodiment of my invention herein set forth, the purposes of my invention are mainly accomplished by locating the con` trol valve at a point relatively distant from the pump and operating the control valve by pump pressure transmitted through a branch pipeline, so that no oil will ever pass the control valve even though considerable oil may pass the pump and build up a substantially increased pressure before closure of the control valve.

Anotheradvantage of my improvement is that there is no necessity to flush L ut the discharge pipe beyondy the control valve at .ta-nk, 7c having a. heating coil m. discharges into a centrifugal oil purifier a,

any time oil never flowingintothisf-part of the pipe. On the other hand, at the beginning of each ballast tank-exhausting operation, such part of the pipe as contains oil may be thoroughly flushed out before allowing water to pass to the discharge.

In the drawings, which show afprefei'red embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, somewhat diagrammatic, of a preferred embodiment olf my invention.

:F ig. 2 is asectional elevation ofthe con-l liquidcapable of actingas a separator. lny

the present invention, however, no necessity exists. for providing separating means beyondthe pipedischarge. The pipe may discharge directly into the body of water in which 'the vessel floats. lf Ythe separator 0-6Z is provided, overflow pipes e and f are provided ifrom the respective columns c and d.

In the pipe b, preferably relatively close to the tank a, is a` pump g arranged to operate at al constant speed. Between the pump g and the discharge end of pipe Z) (preferably nearer the latter than the. former) is a control valve 7L. Behind the control valve, but preferably rather close thereto and relatively distant from the pump, is a relief valve z'. From the relief valve extends a pipe j which, like pipe e, discharges into a the Water discharge 0 from which is connectedto the bilge, while `the oil discharge connects with a pipe p leading to a lubricating oil receiver and with a pipe lfleading to a lfuel oil receiver; the passage of the oilbeing governed by a. three-way valve s. Theidetails of the control valve 7i (which is Well 'known type of pressrre regulatorf andv `forms per se no part of my invention) are shown lin Fig. 2. The valve casing has a double seat t engageable by valve discs u.y

Thevalve-stem extends out through a stuffing bor; 'U and carries at or near its outer end a diaphragm w locatedin a ychamber a'. A spring g/ tends t-o hold the valve open.

Communicating with the .diaphragm chamber .fr is o-ne. end of a pipe e. y The other end of pipe .e connects with pipe in front of the pump g.

The operation of the apparatus described is as 'follovvs:

By reason of gravity, the oil in tank a has operated, and until'the tanll: is

floated to-the top. llhenthe pump g is iirst fairly Well drained, nothing but water is pumped through pipe Z), which water is discharged .into the separator c-chor directly into the harbor water. Spring y is so adjusted that as long as the resistance to flow through pipe b remains constant, the pump pressure, transmitted through the body of liquid in pipe e andactingon diaphragm io, is not sufficient to move the valve discs u against the force of spring y. operating to holdthein off their seats. As long as nothing but water Ais pumpedthrough pipe o, this resistance to flow remains constant., However, as soon as a measurable proportion of oil begins to come through with the water, there isan increased resistancel to flow due tothe viscosity of oilA exceeding that of water. VlQIence the aressure against diaphragm io increases.` Spring :e/ .may beso adjusted that it will-beovercouieby the pump pressure when only a verysmall'pei`- -centage of oil begins to come through with the i water. .So tine an adjustment, .howeever, requires the exercise of care and skill.

lnlthe present invention, the adjustment may be such that. the pump pressure will not overcome the spring until considerable oil has entered the. pipe o; that is, until a considerable length of pipe 7 contains a weak emulsion of oil with Water. vlllhile the pipe is thus iilling up `with this emulsion, the `proportion of oil passing through the pump will ordinarily gradually increase. lt will thus be understood vthat-.the adjustment of spring y maybe such that it will be overconie either by a slight, or by 'a rather considerable, incre-ase or' punip pressure; so-long as .the closing of the control valve is insured before any. oil reaches the control valve. is soo-nasthe valve discs start to move toward their seats,-.the throttling etlect` thus produced rapidly-,builds up the pressure, insuring a` rather rapid, and complete, closure of the valve.

las soon as the .control valve starts to throttle, relief valve z' startsto open, and soon all the liquid pumped from tank @is passingthrou'gh pipe ji into receiving tank 7c. This continues until tank a is emptied.

The emulsion of oil and water entering receiver 76 is heated and Hows into the centrifugal purifier a, wherein the oil and water are separated. The water is returned tosthe bilge. The oil (dependent upon its character and quality) Vis ledeither toy a lubricating oil tank or a fuel oil tank.

lllhen it is again desired to, empty aballast tank or the bilge, as the case may be, pipe is connected(fthrough a` valve-controlled manifold g) withthe tank to be emptied (or with the bilge if it is not already connected therewith), thecont-rol valveis held closed,` and the, emulsion offoiland waterin the pipe b is pumped through relief valve z' into pipe j. As soton as nothing except water is observed to be flowing through pipe j, the control valve is opened and will thereafterI be held open by spring 3/ until oil again passes into pipe b. Thus, pipe Z2 is thoroughly purged of oil at the start of the operation of emptying a ballast tank or the bilge.

As hereinbefore stated, separator c-cl may be omitted, asnothing but Water will ever pass into it. However, if the separator is provided, and if for any reason any oil in pipe passes the control valve, it will discharge into the separator. Such oil will not flow into column d of the separator, but will separate by gravity in column c and rise to the top thereof and when a sufficiently thick layer of oil builds up therein, will overflow through pipe e into tank c. rlhere is no novelty in this separator per se.

TWhile the invention is especially applicable to the purpose described, it is clear that it is also applicable to any situation requiring the pumping of water out of a tank and the automatic separat-ion out of oil or grease contained in the water.

An example of such a situation is the case of field tanks in the oil fields, In these tanks water settles by gravity, and is removed before delivering the oil, which must conform to standard specifications, to pipe lines. By the use of my system, the water, after settlement, may be pumped out and flow of oil from the tank will be arrested automatically.

rlhe invention is also applicable to a variety of uses other than those above described, of which the following is an example. In the manufacture of tallow, after the bones and scrap have been sufficiently cooked, the contents of the rendering tank consist of undissolved solids at the bottom, stick-water (from which glue is made) in the center and fallow at the top. The lever of the bottom of the tallow is determined by the try-cocks as the stick-water is pumped out to the stickwater evaporator, and when tallow appears at the lowest try-cock the pump is shut down, the valves in the discharge pipes changed and the tallow, with some water, is pumped to the tallow tank. The water is subsequently drained from the bottom of the tallow tank. By the use of my invention, however, the pumping down of these rendering tanks could be done automatically and Without carrying any appreciable quantity of stock-Water over with the tallow.

It will, therefore, be understood that Iintend to cover all the uses of which the apparatus is capable.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In an apparatus of the Vcharacter described, the combination with a reservoir, a pipe line leading therefrom and extending toward a discharge and providing a fixed head, a pump interposed in the pipe line, a control valve in the pipe line beyond, and relatively distant from, the pump, a branch pipe communicating with the pipe line between the pump and the control valve, and means, responsive to pressure in the branch pipe due to increase of viscosity of the flowing liquid, adapted to close the valve. Y

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim l comprising also a relief valve between the pump and the control valve. adapted to open when the flow past the control valve is obstructed, and located at such distance from the pump that substantially all the more viscous liquid passing the pump may be, during the continued operation of the pump, automatically diverted through the relief valve.

In testimony of which invention, l have hereunto set my hand, at New York, on this 28th day of January, 199.4.

CYRUS HOWARD HAPGOOD.

Witnesses:

R. R. WARREN, Gro. D. TALLMAN. 

